Eysenck’s personality theory

• Eysenck's Personality Theory

  Certain personality types are more likely to commit crime because they crave excitement, but are slow to learn that crime has bad consequences
• Eysenck analysed responses to a personality questionnaire on 700 soldiers who were being treated for neurotic disorders at the hospital where he worked
• Personality dimensions

  • Extraversion/introversion
  • Neuroticism/stability
• Extraversion

  An extrovert can be sociable but can become bored very quickly if there is a lack of stimulation. Introverts are reliable and in control of their emotions
• Neuroticism


  Neurotics are very anxious and often irrational. Whereas a stable personality is calm and emotionally in control
• Psychoticism


  • A cold, uncaring and aggressive personality which further indicated a tendency towards criminality
• Eysenck's theory predicts

  People who are extrovert (E), neurotic (N) and psychoticism (P) personalities are more likely to offend because it is difficult for them to learn to control their impulses
• Criminals are more likely to be impulsive, thrill-seeking and unable to accept and understand the rules of society
• Eysenck found most people have personalities somewhere around the middle on both scales but criminal personality scores high on both E and N
• Eysenck believed criminals tend to be strongly extraverted and neurotic
• Conditioning


  We learn to seek pleasure (or rewards) and avoid pain (or punishment)
• Extraverts have a nervous system that needs a high level of stimulation from their environment


  This leads to impulsive, rule-breaking behaviour
• Neurotics are harder to condition into following society's rules


  Their high anxiety levels prevent them learning from punishment for their mistakes
• The combination of high E and high N is likely to lead to criminality
• Psychoticism can overlap with serious psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia